New and Improved
by Manga-lover123
Summary: author's note...yea...
1. Prologue

New and Improved

Summary: What if the Third Hokage had ordered Jiraiya, Tsunade, and Orochimaru to train Naruto in the mountains. When Naruto returns, will he still be an over-enthusiastic dobe... or something else??? AU

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or any of the characters in it. I just own the plot and please don't send any flames, I know I can't write. TT

I revised chapters 1-5.

A/NAuthor's Note

"blah" talking

time lapse

* * *

Prologue

"Yondaime!" a man with grayish, white hair shouted, "Hurry up or the kyuubi no kitsune will possess your son!"

"I know, I know, old man!" the Yondaime retorted, panting heavily. He stood in front of a small table, covered with incense candles and glittering substances that showed the difficulty of the seal they were performing.

On the table was a small baby boy barely covered with an orange blanket, surprisingly quiet despite what was happening around him.

Four other people were in each of the corners, including the man who had spoken before.

All of their hands were in a rapid blur, face serious and focused on their task, a thin line of power connected them to the blonde man beside the table.

The Yondaime himself was chanting an ancient spell of great power; the only way they were to be rid of the cursed nine-tales fox.

With an extra burst of power, and the bellow of one word that _I_ don't even know, the room was enveloped in a pure white light.

When the light faded away, leaving only glittering sparkles, the Yondaime and the 4 shinobi in the corners had fainted. Quiet only lasted a minute before the baby started bawling loudly.

The medic nins outside heard the cries and rushed in, placing the adults in stretchers and carefully avoiding the blonde baby.

Only one, young Kakashi, was willing to hold baby Naruto, all the while glaring at the other jounin's backs.

A week later

Jiraiya woke up in a a small bed. Groggily, he sat up, and found that he was inside a white room. The alcohol smell of antiseptics filled his nose and he knew he was inside a hospital room. Looking around, he saw the others in the beds around him. One bed was empty, the only female of the group wasn't there.

Thinking that she healed faster because of her ability as a healing nin, he pushed the crisp, white, cotton blankets away from his body and rolled/fell of the bed.

Looking down, he saw that he wore his regalur clothes. A black fishnet shirt under a brown shift covered by a long, red robe. His oil headband was still on his head.

The hallway was empty so he decided to try and find the main desk. His shoes, squeaking on the high polished floor, was the only sound until a nurse turned the corner.

Stopping her as she went by, he asked, "Where can I find Tsunade?"

Her blue eyes blinked a few times before the question registered in her brain, "You're up, Jiraiya-sama. Drink a lot of water, Tsunade is visiting that damned demon fox. She's the only one who'll go near him other than Kakashi-chan."

"Naruto is NOT a demon fox, he's just a normal boy who's got the bad luck of being chosen as the kyuubi spirit's vessel!" Jiraiya hissed at her, his voice dripping with venom. Quickly, she apologized and ran away.

Behind him, someone chuckled.

"And I thought Orochimaru was the only one who could sound like that," the Fourth Hokage said as he walked pass his teacher.

"Even an old man like me picks up some good techniques now and then," Jiraiya retorted, walking in step with the Yondaime. They walked down halls after halls, completely lost until they saw a sign with the name Naruto on it.

Entering the room, they saw that Tsunade was sitting on a chair next to a bed. When they entered the room, she told them Naruto's progress. Luckily, all of it was good; the seal had proven successful.

Apparently, Tsunade was still too tired to activate the jutsu that made her look young so her clothes hung from her body. Both of the men thought that this was a very scary sight.

Soon, the Sandaime and Orochimaru joined them. Again, Tsunade told them about what had happened while they were unconscious.

They were content with watching the peacefully sleeping boy. Then, the Yondaime voiced the thought everyone was thinking, "We all know that I'm die soon."

Jiraiya grimaced as he heard this, "Don't say that, kid. You're strong, you'll make it."

He looked me in the eye, "Don't kid yourself, sensei. All I want is for my son to be recognized for the hero he is. He will be an orphan soon and I don't want him to be a weak little shrimp. Please train him Hokage-sama, Jiraiya-sensei, Tsunade-sama and Orochimaru-sama. That is my last wish." Then he walked out of the room.

I looked away, I didn't want the others to see my tears. The kid had been my favorite student, he had an optimistic attitude and was always calm and supportive.

He was well loved by the town and especially me. I treated him like a son and I didn't want him to die, no one did.

Two days later the Fourth Hokage died and everyone mourned for him. At the funeral, everyone stared with hate at Naruto, who was gurgling in Tsunade's arms. The Third Hokage saw this and walked over to where the senins stood.

"See the looks everyone is giving Naruto," he murmured, "it's not safe for him here. At midnight, I want you three to bring Naruto into one of the mountain dojos and train him there until you think it is time for him to return." After saying this, he drifted back into the crowd.

At exactly midnight, four ninjas jumped from rooftop to rooftop, heading toward the mountain. Back at the Hokage Monument, the Third Hokage wished them luck.

End of Prologue

P.S. Who do you think the fourth ninja is?

Chapter Preview

Naruto's POV

'Nii-san and I were in the taijutsu part of the dojo, running 5 miles... with 5 pound weights on each foot.

We had been doing this for a year. 'Nii-san was the one who taught me taijutsu, Jiraiya otou-san taught me chakra control, Tsunade 'kaa-san taught me medics and Oro-san taught me genjutsu.

" 'Nii-san," I whined, "Why do I have to do this?"

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Longer Chapter l8er.


	2. Chapter 1: Meeting Kakashi

New and Improved

Disclaimer: As always, I don't own Naruto or any of the characters. Just this poor excuse for a story.

A/NAuthor's Note

"blah" talking

time lapse

* * *

Previously on Naruto:

Two days later the Fourth Hokage died and everyone mourned for him. At the funeral, everyone stared with hate at Naruto. The Third Hokage saw this and walked over to where the senins stood.

"See the looks everyone is giving Naruto," he murmured, "it's not safe for him here. At midnight, I want you three to bring Naruto into one of the Mountain Dojos and train him there until you think it is time for him to return." After saying this, he drifted back into the crowd.

At exactly midnight, four ninjas jumped from rooftop to rooftop, heading toward the mountain. Back at the Hokage Monument, the Third Hokage wished them luck.

* * *

Chapter 1: Meeting Kakashi

"Which dojo should we go to?" Jiraiya asked the others.

"How about mine," Orochimaru answered.

Tsunade snorted, careful not to drop the baby, "Yours! Hah! It's probably filled with snakes and things like that, Naruto will be dead before the first week!"

"How about mine than," a quiet voice stated. They turned around to see the youngest member of their group.

"Ya think the Uchihas would let us, they aren't really big on Naruto either," Jiraiya replied, facing 9-year-old Uchiha Itachi.

"They have no say in this, it's my property, not theirs." Red eyes flashed in the darkness, his face a pale contrast to his dark blue-ish-black hair.

The young boy wore a wide necked t-shirt and white shorts with the usual blue ninja sandals, bandages covered his ankles and lower arms. On his back were several packs full of clothes.

"Whatever, at least we have a place to train," said Jiraiya.

They followed Itachi, who headed towards the far side of the mountain. They arrived in a clearing, a lake in front of them.

The gurgling waterfall was the source of all the water. Apple trees surrounded the area around the lake. Everything was serene and at peace.

"Hey!" Jiraiya exclaimed, "Where's the dojo?"

"Follow me," Itachi said and nothing more.

Jiraiya and Tsunade looked at each other and shrugged, then ran to keep up with Itachi and Orochimaru.

They walked across the water and ended up in front of the waterfall. Suddenly, Itachi's eyes spun, the sharingan wheels revolving rapidly, then he performed a series of hand seals.

Suddenly, the waters parted to let them through. Walking swiftly, they ended up in a wooden room; it was cozy but dusty, like no one had lived there for a very long time. A sofa, table, lamp and mini-fridge were the only things inside.

"How big is this thing?" Jiraiya asked.

" 'Bout half the mountain," Itachi replied. Jiraiya whistled and set his bag on the coffee table.

"This is the living room, there's a map over there. You can pick whichever room you want. This dojo is in pretty good shape, but we still need to do a little cleaning up," Itachi ordered, picking up a mop from the corner.

For the next 2 months, they tidied the place up and added more food and equipments. When Naruto turned 8 years old, they started his training.

* * *

Naruto's POV (He is 8)

'Nii-san and I were in the taijutsu part of the dojo, running 5 miles... with 5 pounds weights on each foot. We had been doing this for a year.

'Nii-san is the one who teaches me taijutsu, Jiraiya otou-san teaches me chakra control, Tsunade 'kaa-san teaches me medics and Oro-san teaches me genjutsu.

" 'Nii-san," I whined, "Why do I have to do this?"

"Because," 'Nii-san answered plainly.

"You're boring 'nii-san, why don't you smile more, like me?" I said, stopping to give him my brightest smile. He smiled ruefully and we continued running.

I always do this, he doesn't smile a lot so I try to make it my business to make him smile.

After a few more feet, 'nii-san told me that he was going to add 1 more mile and 1 more pound to each foot. I groaned inwardly but stayed silent as he put the weights on my feet.

He always adds something when he thinks I've improved...or after I pull a prank on him.

I didn't really care, it just affected me the first day I had the weights on. After it was done, we continued running.

The added weight was a bother, slowing me down even more.

When I finished running, onii-san decided to make me do 25 sit-ups. This time I groaned out loud, I hated this exercise.

He would make me do sit ups without someone holding my feet down and if I move my legs even once, I had to run another mile.

* * *

Third Person POV

Once Naruto finished the session, Itachi led him to the kitchen where he made ramen.

When Naruto saw that it was his favorite, chicken ramen, he clapped his hands and jumped up and down.

"Yay! Onii-san is making Naruto chicken ramen!" He slurped it happily and when he was done, Itachi led him to the Medic Room, never once making a sound.

Tsunade then took over and taught Naruto about the human body. She showed him the vital points and important nerves. She also showed him the chakra holes. When it was over, Tsunade went to find Jiraiya.

She finally found him lounging in his room. Covering Naruto's eyes , she yelled at him to start his lesson. The contents of the room wasn't fit for young, and innocent, boys like Naruto.

He led the kid outside and taught him how to walk up trees. Naruto had a really bad problem with controlling his chakra, it took an hour for him to learn how to even stick onto the tree.

By the time the class was over, he had only walked up 5 feet and he was already covered with bruises.

During Orochimaru's class, he learned how to hypnotize people. You had to look deep into their eyes and tell them what you wanted to, your voice had to be at the right volume and you had to use a precise amount of chakra.

However, that was his weakness and the lesson took up even more of his time than the other three.

Then 13 year-old Kabuto helped him by teaching him how to heal himself more quickly.

This continued for 4 more years until Naruto learned the summoning jutsus. A few weeks later, he could summon frogs, snakes, and slugs of all sizes.

They decided it was time to go home.

* * *

Naruto's POV

I've never seen so many people in the same place! It was so amazing. The vendors had so many things to sell! I wanted to see the items more closely, but Tsunade-baba dragged me to the tallest building in the village.

"This is the Administration Building. (I'm making it up) It's where the Hokage's office is," Tsunade-baba explained.

Orochimaru and Itachi 'nii-san didn't want to come and Jiraiya disappeared after we passed the bath houses. So Tsunade-baba took it upon herself to give me a tour. I didn't like it very much, she has a damn strong grip and liked to drag me around, _a lot_.

* * *

Third Person POV

The Anbu guards let them through after they showed them their passes. Then they walked up to the Hokage's room and knocked gently. "Come in," a quiet, but commanding voice, answered.

Tsunade walked in first and Naruto followed. What they saw surprised them, the Third Hokage was reading a book, to be specific, Icha Icha Paradise.

"HENTAI, PERVERT! THE OLD MAN IS A..." Naruto yelled, before Tsunade slapped a hand over his mouth.

The Sandaime quickly put the book away and smiled up at them. Coming out from behind the desk, he shook their hands, acting like nothing happened.

"Tell me, how is Itachi and the others doing? Is Orochimaru still mad at me?"

"Yes," Tsunade answered, "He said he'll never forgive you. However, his attitude's gotten better and he doesn't want to be the Hokage anymore, he has made a new village, the Sound.

Nevertheless, he's still big on the immortality thing. We can't stop him from giving the curse and changing bodies. I don't trust him, he seems too sneaky, I think he's thinking of a rebellion from the Sound.

And Itachi, he killed Mimuza, the man who really killed the Uchiha clan, months ago. Do you think Sasuke still wants revenge? Did Mimuza's genjutsu work?"

"I'm sorry to say, but Sasuke wants to avenge his clan. He doesn't believe it when we tell him that Itachi is innocent," The Third Hokage answered.

Then he turned to Naruto, "It's nice to see you again, you're shorter than I expected but you've grown into a fine young man. Naruto, I want you to attend the Ninja Academy."

"Why old man?" Naruto asked.

"Because you're twelve, and by law you have to," the Hokage answered.

"But Hokage-sama, Naruto is qualified to be a jounin, why does he have to go back to the basics?!" Tsunade protested.

"It's the law," the Sandaime stated.

"Since when?! Kakashi became a chounin before he was 12," Tsunade exclaimed.

"That was back then," the Sandaime excplained.

"This is all about the kyuubi, isn't it?" Naruto asked in a quiet voice.

The two adults stopped arguing and looked at him, "How'd you know about it?"

"He talks to me, he isn't mean at all. When he attacked your village, it was because someone killed his kid. Foxes are very protective of their offsprings, especially ninetails because only a few survive 'till adulthood. But it's ok, I'll go to the academy."

"It's settled, then," the Hokage announced.

Tsunade stormed out of the room, muttering something about ignorant villagers and stupid ninjas.

"I'll ask Kakashi to show you around," the Hokage stated, "He's going to the academy at the same time you do, anyways.

He sent a messenger and Kakashi appeared in the room moments later.

"What's up Hokage-sama?" he asked.

"Hello Kakashi, I want you to show Naruto around," the Sandaime stated.

"Can't a genin do that?" Kakashi complained.

"No, they're all on missions," the Hokage retorted.

"Chuunin?"

"Ditto."

"Why _me_ then?" Kakashi asked.

"Because you've met him before and you're the only one who'll go near him," the Hokage explained.

"I'm here, ya know. You guys keep ignoring me," Naruto shouted, waving his arms above his head.

"Shut up. (Naruto pouted) Okay, I'll do it on one condition..." Kakashi started.

"You have no choice," interrupted the Hokage.

"I do now. Tell Jiraiya to give me Icha Icha Paradise Volume 3," Kakashi reasoned.

The Third Hokage and Naruto face-vaulted, "No."

End of Chapter 1: Meeting Kakashi

* * *

Chapter Preview

"Class, we have a new student today," Iruka announced. A murmur went through the class, "A student? Now?!"

"I know what you're all thinking, but he did pass the genin test even if he didn't attend the Academy. Please welcome, Uzumaki Naruto."

He started clapping and the class joined in.

In walked a boy their age. He was 5 feet and had twinkling, sky-blue eyes. He had spiky blonde hair that tilted towards the side.

A black facemask (like Kakashi's) covered the lower part of his face. A gold hoop dangled in his right ear, next to a line of five black studs.

He wore a sleeveless, black hoodie, black shorts and blue ninja sandals over his tanned body. His hatai-ite was wrapped around his upper right arm and bandages adorned his wrists and ankles.

He had lean muscles and walked with posture and grace, someone who would act calm even in a storm. He took the only seat available, right between Sakura and Sasuke.

"The teams will be..."

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I'm trying to write longer chapters, this was supposed to be 2 chapters.


	3. Chapter 2: Meeting Team 7

New and Improved

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or any of the characters in it. I just own the plot and please don't send any flames, I know I can't write. TT

A/NAuthor's Note

"blah" talking

time lapse

* * *

Chapter 2: Meeting Team 7

"Mmmm. This ramen is yummy," Naruto exclaimed as he slurped down his 5th bowl.

Kakashi sweat dropped as he watched him eat, thinking, where does all that food go?

They had finished the tour an hour ago. They still had time so Kakashi asked if Naruto had wanted to eat anything. When the boy replied, ramen, he decided to take him to Ichiraku.

As Kakashi watched, Naruto slurped down his 6th bowl and 7th bowls.

"Uuuhh, Naruto?" he asked.

"Mmph?" The boy tried to answer with a mouth full of noodles.

"You think you could stop eating so much? I don't think I have enough money to pay for all this," said Kakashi.

Slurping loudly, Naruto patted his stomach and nodded. "I'm stuffed, anyways. Thanks for the meal, Kakashi."

"Whatever, let's say we head over to the Academy now. I want to see if my team will be any good beforehand," said Kakashi.

"Sure," Naruto agreed.

Leaping from rooftop to rooftop, they headed towards the school. Naruto was excited at finally being able to play with kids his own age.

I wonder if they will like me? I hope so, and then maybe I'll learn how to play a game or two, he thought. Smiling contently, he ran even faster.

Damn, he's fast, Kakashi thought as he struggled to keep up with the enthusiastic blond. Naruto's speed was amazing.

To the naked eye, he looked like a blur, disappearing and reappearing again on a different roof.

* * *

Naruto enrolled and took the test once they got there. Of course, he passed with flying colors.

However, he asked Iruka to put him on the same team as Uchiha Sasuke.

When he asked why, Naruto replied, "I just want to see if he's as good as everyone says he is."

"He was the #1 rookie before you came. If you want to be on his team, I'll have to put you in dead last to balance the team out," Iruka explained.

"I don't mind," said Naruto.

He followed Iruka to the classroom alone, Kakashi seemed to have mysteriously disappeared after they arrived.

When they arrived Iruka told Naruto to wait until he introduced him to the class.

"Class, we have a new student today," Iruka announced. A murmur went through the class, "A student? Now?!"

"I know what you're all thinking, but he did pass the genin test even if he didn't attend the Academy. Please welcome, Uzumaki Naruto."

He started clapping and the class joined in.

In walked a boy their age. He was 5 feet and had twinkling, sky-blue eyes. He had spiky blonde hair that tilted towards the side.

A black facemask (like Kakashi's) covered the lower part of his face. A gold hoop dangled in his right ear, next to a line of five black studs.

He wore a sleeveless, black hoodie, black shorts and blue ninja sandals over his tanned body. His hatai-ite was wrapped around his upper right arm and bandages adorned his wrists and ankles.

He had lean muscles and walked with posture and grace, someone who would act calm even in a storm. He took the only seat available, right between Sakura and Sasuke.

"Though, Naruto passed the test," Iruka stated, "He was the dead last, the dobe."

After hearing this, the class broke into laughter, some even jeered rude comments at Naruto. Iruka was worried about how this would turn out.

However, his worries subsided when Naruto stood up and said, good heartedly,

"Shut up, you idiots. I'll surpass you and become Hokage!"

This just made the class laugh louder.

"Settle down, class. The teams will be..."

* * *

Sasuke's POV

Iruka-sensei told us our groups. I was stuck with the dobe and the laziest, dumbest boy in the group. We had to be the worst team ever.

The teams had to be balanced out and I'm guessing that those two's scores together equaled mine.

Silently, I fumed as we waited for our new sensei to arrive. When he finally came in, he was hit by the eraser the dobe placed above the door.

I couldn't believe he fell for that; he must've been a new jounin. My day just keeps getting better.

"Haha, you fell for it!... Kakashi?!" Naruto yelled out.

* * *

Naruto POV

I was surprised to see that Kakashi was my new teacher... and that he fell for my foolish trick. I had set it up to see if our new teacher was any good.

Kakashi is supposed to be a genius, I don't get it, I thought.

"Oi, Naruto? What are you doing here?" Kakashi asked.

"I'm your new student," I announced, smiling brightly.

"Not yet, you're not," Kakashi replied, "You need to pass my test first."

"Test?" I asked, "What kind of test?"

"You'll have to find out tomorrow," he said with a wink, "For now, why don't you tell me your goals, your likes and your dislikes."

"I'll start first!" I yelled as I waved my hands in the air, "My name is Uzumaki Naruto. My goal is to be the future Hokage of Konoha. I like ramen and my otou-san, even if he's a pervert, my okaa-san and my two aniki(s). I don't really like my uncle that much, though, he's scary. And I dislike... nothing."

Those aren't all true but okaa-san had told me to say them the day before.

"This is so troublesome. My name is Nara Shikamaru," the boy with his hair bound in a pinapple shape drawled, "I like to sleep, play shogi and watch the clouds. I don't really have a goal. I hate waking up early, annoying girls, and a lot of other things."

The boy slouched in his seat. He had a hoop in each ear and lazy eyes like Kakashi. He wore a short, short-sleeved jacket over a fishnet shirt, black pants and the regalur sandals.

"I am Uchiha Sasuke. My goal is to kill a man." Probably Itachi. "I like and dislike nothing."

He was dressed the same way Itachi used to dress before he joined the Akatsuki with the t-shirt, symbol, white pants, sandals and armbands. His hair was spiked towards the back over his hatai-ite and he had coal-black eyes; all of which contrasted well with his pale skin.

"I'm Hatake Kakashi. My goals are none of your business. My likes and dislikes are also none of your business. I want all of you to arrive at Training Area 2 at 11:30 tomorrow. Don't bother eating anything, you're probably going to throw it all back up anyways. You are all dismissed except for Naruto."

Both Sasuke and Shikamaru left the room, leaving only me and Kakashi.

"What's up Kakashi?" I asked.

"Why are you a genin?" he answered me with a question.

"What do you mean?"

Did I make a mistake?

"Your speed and body. You are fast enough to be a jounin, even an ANBU. And your body has been through intensive training. Why are you left back?" he asked.

"You noticed? Well, the old man told me that it was the law..." I began.

"Since when?" He retorted.

"Exactly, Ts- okaa-san said the exact same thing. I think it's because of my seal." Damn, that was close, the old hag told me not to tell anyone they trained me.

"Your seal?" he asked. Shouldn't he know? He was there the day they sealed it in me.

Nevertheless, I pulled down my facemask to show him my whiskers. "Okaa-san told me to wear it so that the adults here don't recognize me."

"Oh, so you're the fox's vessel, no wonder the Hokage told me that I was the only one who'd go near you. Don't worry, your secret's safe with me," Kakashi promised.

I smiled at him. I knew he wouldn't tell.

"By the way," he continued, "The Hokage wants to see you."

"Sure thing," I replied, then I disappeared in a whirl of leaves. (Naruto ran, he didn't use ninjutsu)

Third Person POV

When Naruto arrived, he saw a group of people.

"Hey Tsunade-baba, ero-sennin, old man. Ya called?" Naruto asked.

Suddenly, he was hit in the head by a fan, "Itai. What was that for, you old hag!" He received another thwack.

"Be respectful of your elders, Naruto. Didn't you listen to my lessons on manners!?" Tsunade scolded.

"Yeah, yeah. You still didn't tell me what you called me here for," Naruto stated.

"We called you here because I didn't give you your new address yet," the Third Hokage replied, handing a piece of paper to him. Looking at it, he saw that an address was written on it.

The Sandaime watched as the trio leapt out the window onto the busy streets below. They asked for directions and they soon arrived at a three story building.

They chose rooms and unpacked, the first floor was made up of the gym, the dining room, the living room, 2 bathrooms and a guest room.

Jiraiya and Tsunade's rooms were on the second floor and Naruto's room was on the third, connected to the balcony.

At nighfall, they finally finished and sat down to eat dinner, fried fish. After dinner, yawning loudly, Naruto went to his room. He changed quickly and fell into a deep sleep.

End of Chapter 2: Meeting Team 7

* * *

Chapter Preview

Surprised, Naruto found a kunai at his neck, held from behind. He twisted Kakashi's arm quickly and disappeared into the forest, throwing a smoke bomb before him.

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	4. Chapter 3: The Test

New and Improved

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or any of the characters in it. I just own the plot and please don't send any flames, I know I can't write. TT

A/NAuthor's Note

"blah" talking

time lapse

blah action

* * *

Chapter 3: The Test

The next morning, Naruto woke up to the sounds of birds. Looking at his clock, he saw that it was 8:00.

This is the latest I've ever slept. Usually one of the others wakes me up at the crack of dawn, he thought, yawning loudly.

After finishing his morning toiletries, he changed into a blue shirt and black pants. Walking down to the second floor, he knocked on Tsunade's door, but no one answered.

Opening it, he couldn't find her anywhere. It was the same with Jiraiya.

I wonder where they are, he thought, walking into the kitchen.

When he was opening the cupboard, he noticed a piece of paper. Momentarily forgetting about the ramen, he picked it up. It said:

_Naruto,_

_Jiraiya and I were called to a meeting with the Hokage today. Eat breakfast/lunch and I don't mean ramen._

_Love,_

_Tsunade_

Throwing the note away, he proceeded to make ramen. Finishing the cup, he threw that too into the garbage and went to train.

In the gym, he created a clone and practiced taijutsu. The point of this exercise was to see if his defense had any openings. If he found one, he'd fix it.

Satisfied with his defense, he worked on his speed. Deciding that he could handle more weights, he added 4 more pounds.

While putting his weights on, he glanced at his watch.

"Oh damn! I'm late!" he exclaimed.

It was already 12 o'clock.

* * *

Training Area 2- an hour and a half later

"Hey guys, good morning!!" Kakashi said as he walked into the training area.

"You're late!!!" Naruto yelled. Sasuke and Shikamaru merely glared at him.

"Sorry, I was helping an old lady across the street," he replied.

"When did it take 2 hours for someone to cross the street," Naruto asked.

Kakashi shrugged and placed a clock on a stump. Pressing the alarm button, he announced,

"OK. It's set for 3."

Confused, the genins were about to question him when he held out two bells.

"Here are 2 bells. Your task is to take these from me before 3 o'clock. Those who cannot get a bell before 3 get no lunch. I'll not only tie you to a stump, but I'll eat in front of you.," Kakashi explained.

That's why he told us not to eat... Sasuke thought. He was the only one out of the 3 that hadn't eaten.

"Only 2 of you can pass the test since there are only two bells. The one who doesn't get the bell fails and goes back to the academy," Kakashi announced.

"But you'll be in danger," Shikamaru stated, "You can't even dodge a blackboard eraser."

Silently, Sasuke agreed. He can't be that good of a jounin if he fell for that trick.

However, Naruto had a different idea. He knew Kakashi wasn't to be underestimated. He wasn't famous for nothing. He had let the eraser hit him on purpose so that the others would think he was weak.

"START!!!!!!"

At that one word, all three genins leapt away.

The basics of a shinobi is to hide yourself well, Kakashi thought as he scanned the area with his chakra.

He felt Sasuke and Shikamaru's chakra, but...he couldn't find Naruto's.

Under a bush, Naruto was watching Kakashi. He giggled inwardly when he saw Kakashi's confused look.

Then it was wiped off his face and he reached into his bag and...took out Icha Icha Paradise.

Naruto and the others nearly face-faulted but caught themselves before they made any noise.

* * *

5 Minutes Later

Time to put my plan into action, Naruto thought as he took out a kunai.

He was about to throw it when Sasuke charged in. Deciding to see how the Uchiha would do, he put the kunai away.

They fought hand to hand mostly and the only good technique was Sasuke's fireball technique. The fight ended up with Sasuke in the ground.

And I thought he would do better than that, he thought.

Naruto threw the kunai at Kakashi who dodged it. It hit the tree behind him and exploded because of the explosive note attached to it.

He jumped and landed a few feet away but was swept up by a net.

Cutting it expertly, he jumped away, only to be hit by a shuriken. It didn't hit a vital part but it did make him fall.

When Kakashi hit the ground, he exploded in smoke. He had been a bunshin.

Surprised, Naruto found a kunai at his neck, held from behind. He twisted Kakashi's arm quickly and disappeared into the forest, throwing a smoke bomb before him.

He stopped in front of Shikamaru and sat down next to him.

"I've figured out the point of this test. We have to work as a team to get those bells," said Shikamaru, crouching down next to the blonde.

"Yea, I figured that out, I was just waiting for you two," Naruto replied, "Now we just have to get Sasuke. Got a plan?"

"Wait," Shikamaru closed his eyes and formed a kind of triangle with his hands, deep in thought.

"I'll get him while you think, I can't just stand around and do nothing," Naruto whispered, disappearing into the folaige.

He made sure that Kakashi was busy with a bunshin before running over to where Sasuke was stuck in the ground.

"Need any help?" Naruto asked.

"No," the other boy growled.

"But me and Shikamaru have a plan. You're smart, you should've figured out by now that this is a test of teamwork," said the blonde.

"Yea, but I can get out of this hole myself," After saying that, the earth around him crumbled and he jumped up and landed next to Naruto. "So where is he?"

Grinning, Naruto told him to follow him.

They walked back to the area Shikamaru was at. The boy was sprawled on his back, looking at the clouds.

"So what's the plan?" Naruto asked.

"What took you so long? I thought you'd never get back!" Shikamaru complained, "The plan's really easy, you guys just have to distract him. Try to make him get closer to me, at least 15 feet between us. I can use my shadow binding no jutsu (kage mane) and make him hand over the bells to you."

"That's all?" Sasuke asked.

"Yeah, why? Didja expect something really long and hard?" Shikamaru asked.

"We have the advantage because he doesn't know what we know. Let's go!" Naruto exclaimed.

Both he and Sasuke burst into the clearing and started to fight with Kakashi. When one was in trouble, the other would help him out and vice-versa.

Kakashi was enjoying the fight when he suddenly stopped for no reason. The two boys also stopped, both had grins on their faces.

"What did you do to me?" he demanded.

"We didn't do nothing," Naruto replied.

"It's Shikamaru who's got you trapped," Sasuke added.

His hands moved on their own and reached for the bells hanging on his waist. Taking them, he handed them over to Naruto.

"We pass, sensei," Naruto stated.

Suddenly, he was able to control his body parts again when Shikamaru appeared behind the boys.

"You guys are the first team I've ever pass but you all have great potential. Your teamwork isn't that good but it's great for your first time. If you work well enough together, even genins can beat a jounin as you can see today. That ends the training, you all passed. Starting tomorrow, Team 7 will begin its duties!!!" Kakashi announced.

"Yay! I did it! I'm a genin!" Naruto shouted happily.

Grinning under his mask, Kakashi said, "Let's go, I'm treating you all for ramen."

End of Chapter 3: The Test

* * *

Chapter Preview

They were talking when Naruto spotted a puddle of water. It hadn't rain for many days now, there couldn't be any water.

Keeping his guard up, he looked at Kakashi. They locked eyes for a moment before looking away. Both knew the other noticed.

Soon enough, two chains surrounded Kakashi and cut him into pieces. Two masked shinobi weild the chains and rushed towards the others.

Sasuke and Naruto met their attacks while Shikamaru stayed back to protect Tazuna.

Naruto used a roundhouse kick, followed by a left jab that sent his enemy flying. He appeared behind the man and kicked him into the ground. The chuunin fainted from the blow.

Turning around, he spotted Sasuke next to Shikamaru, both of them guarding Tazuna. The other enemy ninja's chain was just centimeters away from beheading them.

Damn! I'm too far away!

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	5. Chapter 4: The Great Naruto BridgePart 1

New and Improved

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or any of the characters in it.

A/NAuthor's Note

"blah" talking

time lapse

* * *

Chapter 4: The Great Naruto Bridge-Part 1

"Oh, my cute little Tora-chan! I was so worried!" Madam Shijimi, the Fire Country Lord's wife, cried.

Team 7 had completed another one of their missions; locating Madame Shijimi's missing cat. They had been doing only D-class missions since they graduated 2 months ago.

I don't blame it for running away, Naruto thought, she's practically hugging it to death.

When she left, the Hokage gave them their next mission. They were all D-class ones.

"Damn you, old man! Can't you give us some better missions. How are these crappy D-class missions gonna help us?!" Naruto yelled.

"You just became a genin!" Iruka argued, "You should be glad you even get a mission!"

Naruto and Iruka argued for a while before the Hokage explained their method in giving out missions.

"I know all of those things but the D-class missions you give are so boring and easy!" Naruto reasoned.

Thinking it over for a moment, the Hokage decided to give them a C-Rank mission.

"I want you to protect a certain individual," he announced.

"Who?" Shikamaru asked.

"You'll see, please come in," the Hokage called.

An old man with white hair entered. He carried a large book bag and was drinking out of a sake bottle.

"This are my bodyguards! A bunch of brats! The shortest one doesn't even look like a ninja! Look at that stupid face!" he complained, leaning against the doorframe.

Naruto pretended to get mad and charged at him, "I dare you to say that again, old man! I'll kill you!!!"

Kakashi held him back, "What's the point of killing the person you're supposed to protect, idiot."

Naruto stopped and stood in-between his two teammates who were looking irritably at him.

"Who are you anyways?" Sasuke asked.

"I am the super expert bridge builder, Tazuna," he informed them.

Then in a more serious tone, he added, "I expect you to provide me super protection until I get back to my country and complete the bridge."

When the introductions were over, the shinobi went home to pack while Tazuna waited for them at the Hokage Monument.

At home, Naruto decided to change into a brown musle shirt. On top of that, he wore an army patterned jacket with matching pants. He also wore dark brown boots.

He also took 3-dozen kunai, 2-dozen shurikens and 1 giant shuriken. Putting them on various parts of his clothes and body, he set off to meet his team.

* * *

They were talking when Naruto spotted a puddle of water. It hadn't rain for many days now, there couldn't have been any water.

Keeping his guard up, he looked at Kakashi. They locked eyes for a moment before looking away. Both knew the other noticed.

Soon enough, two chains surrounded Kakashi and cut him into pieces. Two masked shinobi weild the chains and rushed towards the others.

Sasuke and Naruto met their attacks while Shikamaru stayed back to protect Tazuna.

Naruto used a roundhouse kick, followed by a left jab that sent his enemy flying. He appeared behind the man and kicked him into the ground. The chuunin fainted from the blow.

Turning around, he spotted Sasuke next to Shikamaru, both of them guarding Tazuna. The other enemy ninja's chain was just centimeters away from beheading them.

Damn! I'm too far away!... he thought, trying to somehow stop the attack.

He started to run but stopped when Kakashi intervened.

Kakashi grabbed the chain and knocked the ninja out and tied them both to a tree. Then he ordered the genins to guard them while he and Tazuna had a little chat.

Outside of hearing range, Tazuna confessed and explained his dilemma.

Using his sharp hearing, Naruto heard the whole thing. When he heard the part about the assasins, he decided he shouldn't tell the others what he heard.

When Kakashi returned, they continued on their way.

* * *

Later that day

Naruto spotted a flash of white from the corner of his eye. Deciding to be cautious, he threw a shuriken at it.

Both Sasuke and Shikamaru took out a kunai and gathered around Tazuna.

Kakashi went to check while Naruto told them that he saw something white there. The jounin came back with a white snow rabbit.

Shikamaru eyed it suspiciously before looking around. How was there a white snow rabbit in the middle of summer? It must've been used for experimenting...

Up in a tree, a man watched the group. No wonder the Demon Brothers1 couldn't defeat this group. They have copy-ninja Kakashi...

A minute later, he sent a large shuriken at them. Naruto ducked instinctively while Kakashi told the others to do so, too.

Looking up, they all spotted the afforementioned man standing on a zanbato embedded in a tree.

"Well, well, well, if it isn't Hidden Mist's Missing-nin, Momochi Zabuza," Kakashi stated.

Naruto was about to attack Zabuza when Sasuke grabbed his shoulder.

"Stay back, dobe. Don't you want to see how he does against him," he whispered harshly.

Naruto pouted but agreed, the 3 genis grabbed their charge and jumped back a few feet.

This will be difficult, Kakashi thought as he reached up to lift his forehead protector. Zabuza is very high-ranked.

"Oh, I'm flattered. You're going to use your sharingan eye on me," Zabuza sneered.

Sharingan? Sasuke thought, clearly surprised. How can he have the sharingan? It can't be...

He stared as the red, 3-branched eye of the sharingan gleamed in his teacher's eye, bringing back painful memories.

In front of him, Zabuza jumped off his zabato and onto the water. He performed a series of seals and used Hidden Mist no Jutsu.

He disappeared and the others looked around cautiously when fog started coming in heavily.

"Be careful," Kakashi warned, "I will do my best to protect you all, but I can't use the sharingan perfectly."

Suddenly, a voice was heard, it taunted, "Nine choices. Liver, lungs, spine, clavicle vein, neck vein, brain, kidneys, heart and jugalur. Which one should I go after?"

The others were surprised.

Damn, I can't find the source of the voice, Naruto thought, and it's getting hard to breath, too.

Kakashi concentrated, closing his normal eye, he started performing a jutsu.

Naruto followed but at a slower pace. The air wasn't as heavy anymore. Shikamaru had already done it and was doing it for Tazuna.

Turning, he went to help Sasuke when he saw him shaking violently. Oh no, he's wide open for an attack, Naruto thought, trying to calm his friend down.

Kakashi also noticed and told everyone that he wouldn't let them die. Then he smiled at them through his mask.

At that moment, Zabuza decided to attack.

He leapt at Tazuna but Kakashi caught him before he did any damage. Zabuza turned into water and another Zabuza attacked Kakashi.

Kakashi turned out to be a water clone, too. The real Kakashi appeared behind Zabuza and held a kunai at his neck.

Kill him you idiot!!! Naruto mentally screamed. Kakashi was listening to Zabuza when he could have slit his throat and got this over with.

Deciding to take matters into his own hands, Naruto threw a shuriken at Zabuza's neck. The man turned into water upon contact.

The real Zabuza heaved his zanbato at Kakashi from behind. Kakashi was surprised but managed to dodge it in time. However, Zabuza didn't give him any time to think and sent him flying from a kick in the gut.

Kakashi fell into the water and when he got out, Zabuza imprisoned him within his water prison.

While holding the prison, he also sent a water clone to kill Tazuna and the 'brats'.

"Don't you feel helpless, Kakashi? Seeing as how you can't do a thing while I kill your charges," he taunted.

Seeing the clone, Naruto hand signaled Sasuke to stay behind and Shikamaru to attack. He stood in the middle, both backing Shikamaru up and protecting Tazuna since Sasuke was still in his paralyzed state.

The ponytailed boy crouched into position, determination in his eyes.

"What a cocky brat. No matter, he'll be easy to kill," Zabuza told Kakashi.

Knowing that his students were strong as a team and individually, he whispered, "Don't be so sure, I have faith in them."

Shikamaru waited for the bunshin to attack and when it did, he re-enforced his kick with chakra and destroyed the clone.

Somewhat surprised that a _genin_ could defeat could defeat his clone so easily, Zabuza made some more. They all met the same fate. But one managed to kick Shikamaru in the chest, before Naruto took revenge.

Then Naruto yelled out, "Sasuke, catch!!!" Naruto got out his big shuriken and tossed it over to Sasuke. Running down the hill, he watched as Shikamaru took the defensive.

Sasuke, who finally got over his paralysis, threw Naruto's large shuriken at Zabuza. It was time for battle formation B.

Smirking, the older man dodged it. However, Naruto was swimming under him and aimed a kick straight up.

It sent him flying and also caused him to loose his hold on the prison at the same time. Now free, Kakashi pounded him.

* * *

When their battle was almost finished, several needles pierced through Zabuza's neck. A young hunter-nin appeared and took his body away. (I don't want write the battle because it takes too long and it's the same as in the story)

"Aren't hunter-nins supposed to destroy the body after they killed them?" Naruto asked.

"Yeah..." Kakashi answered.

Opening their eyes wide in shock, they looked for the boy. However, it was useless, he was gone.

"Damn," Kakashi murmured before collapsing. Naruto caught him before he reached the ground.

TBC

* * *

Chapter Preview

"I know that you don't have chakra," Kakashi stated

"I don't?" Naruto asked.

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	6. Chapter 5: The Great Naruto Bridge Part ...

New and Improved

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or any of the characters in it. I just own the plot and please don't send any flames, I know I can't write. TT

A/NAuthor's Note

"blah" talking

time lapse

* * *

Chapter 4: The Great Naruto Bridge-Part 2

It's been a day since the fight and they were currently in Tazuna's house.

When Kakashi woke up, he was still too weak to move. Naruto was hanging right next to his face, it was his slap that woke him up.

"How long have I been sleeping?" he asked.

"Two days," Sasuke answered. He was sitting in front of a go board, losing to Shikamaru.

"Nothing has happened," Shikamaru added, taking even more of Sasuke's black pieces, "We got a doctor to check on you and you aren't fatally wounded, it'll just take some time before you're back to normal."

Nodding, he asked for a towel to sooth the stinging of the many red marks on his face. Mentally, he promised revenge to Naruto, who had caused the slap marks.

As if reading Kakashi's thoughts, Naruto went to join the boys on the other side of the room, far from his sensei.

Everything was peaceful until Inari came in at dinner and told them that fighting was useless. Tazuna scolded him before apologizing to them.

When Inari continued, Naruto started an argument that caused the younger boy to run to his room.

When Naruto followed him, he heard him crying about his father, sadly, he left.

* * *

In the Woods

"This exercise is to teach you chakra control," Kakashi explained, "To learn this, you'll have to go through training.

"What kind of training?" Naruto asked.

"Tree climbing," Kakashi stated.

Both Shikamaru and Sasuke face-faulted.

"How will that help our chakra control?" Shikamaru asked.

" Listen to the end," Kakashi scolded," This isn't normal tree climbing, you can't use your hands."

Seeing the two's confused looks, he showed them and walked up the tree with his crutches. "You probably won't get it the first time, don't worry, most people don't."

Walking back down again, he told the two boys to try it.

He then told Naruto that he wanted to talk to him. They walked into a clearing that was out of the others' hearing range.

"I know that you don't have chakra," Kakashi stated

"I don't?" Naruto asked.

"Naruto, you don't need to act all cluless. All you use is taijutsu and I can't feel an ounce of chakra in you. I noticed it while I was in Zabuza's cage. How it's possible with the demon fox in you, I don't know, but I'll train you more in your taijutsu," said Kakashi.

Thinking back, Naruto noticed that he never used any kind of jutsu in their battles and he kept forgetting to loosen his hold of his chakra out of habit.

Not wanting to do tree climbing, he decided to play along.

"How are you gonna train me?" asked Naruto.

"I want you protect Tazuna-san while he is working on the bridge while wearing weights," Kakashi stated.

"Okay. How much?" Naruto asked.

Kakashi thought for a bit before answering, "...How about 10 pounds, for starters?"

Naruto: TT

Grinning, Kakashi led him back to the others. He was surprised when Shikamaru had already reached the top.

Naruto was also surprised, 'How does he control it so good! It took me 2 monthes to do that!'

Looking closely, he saw that Shikamaru didn't have as much chakra as he and Sasuke did, making it easier for him to control it. He also had good control since his family's secret jutsu required it.

Sasuke, however, had a worse time controlling his.

Kakashi praised Shikamaru on his control and told him to follow him. He told Sasuke to keep trying.

Once they arrived at Tazuna's house, he gave Naruto the weights and the 2 genin went with Tazuna as he walked to the bridge.

When they came back, Naruto helped Sasuke so that he could bond with his onii's little brother.

At first the Uchiha refused, but gave in after his 10th fall.

"Okay, I know Kakashi-sensei told you to run up the tree but it'd be easier if you walked up it first," said Naruto.

Sasuke nodded and tried it. He went up 5 feet above his last mark and then fell.

Grabbing a tree branch on the way down, he didn't get hurt.

"Try to feel the tree's chakra with your own. Then match that amount and you should be able to stick to the tree. Try to focus on maintaining that balance and not on how far you will get," Naruto advised.

Nodding once again, Sasuke closed his eyes and probed the tree with his chakra.

Then he copied it and slowly walked up the tree. Sometimes he stopped to make sure he didn't use to much or too little chakra.

He finally reached the top and found out that it was already nighttime. He was about to inform Naruto about his success but couldn't find the blonde anywhere.

Naruto had left a few hours back when he saw that Sasuke didn't need any more help. He had too much extra chakra and had to find a way to release it.

He decided to use it up on practicing. He created a clone of himself and attacked, all the while using his chakra to ensure that it wouldn't turn into smoke.

He attacked with basic taijutsu but switched to genjutsu and ninjutsu when he realized they were evenly matched.

Koukakyuu no Jutsu 

He yelled, only to realize that all it did was burn a piece of wood to a crisp.

The clone appeared (let's call it Kage-Naruto) behind him and did a roundhouse kick. Naruto dodged it but was sent flying from an uppercut kick.

He flipped gracefully in the air and landed on his feet. Kage-Naruto charged at him and they attacked at close-range.

Then Naruto found an opening and used chakra to enforce the open-palmed blow he gave. The fight continued on, tilting in no one's favor but still getting both fighters pretty beat up.

By the time he was done, Naruto was exhausted and fell asleep, Kage-Naruto had already disappeared.

Haku found him and they talked for a while. It ended up with Naruto being very shocked; he had just found out that the beautiful girl was actually a guy.

Maybe's he's gay...

Still tired he walked back home and collapsed in his chair. I pushed myself too hard, I used up all my chakra, he thought.

"What happened? You look like something chewed you up and spit you out," Shikamaru drawled.

"Thanks a lot, Shika," he retorted, "I was training."

Sasuke quirked an eyebrow. "When'd you leave, you didn't even stay to see if I reached the top," he said with a hint ofdisappointment.

"I knew you were gonna do it, congratulations," Naruto replied, "Ya know, you should talk like that more."

Sasuke looked confused, "Like what?"

"Talking with some kind of emotion other than annoyance," Naruto stated.

"Hn," Sasuke said, annoyed.

"Exactly not like that!" he exclaimed.

"Shut up, dobe," Sasuke retorted.

Naruto pouted and sat back with a sigh.

Kakashi watched the whole exchange. Their teamwork is getting better, but how did Naruto, who has no chakra, help Sasuke get up the tree?

Kakashi was about to ask him when Inari came in and for the second time, said that they should give up.

Naruto yelled at him, saying that he shouldn't wallow in his sorrow.

Inari shouted that he would never know how it feels like to lose a parent; that he had such a lucky life. Then he started crying.

Naruto's body went rigid and Kakashi was afraid his student might do something to the younger boy.

Hiding his inner rage, Naruto just said that he understood it well, and that crying was for weaklings and babies.

With that said, he went back to his own room.

Later on, Kakashi found Inari outside and explained to him how Naruto never knew his parents and that he had been alone all his life. (He doesn't know the sennins took care of him.)

* * *

The next day

Naruto woke up with a massive headache. Nevertheless, he ran towards the bridge when he found out that the others had left without him.

On the way, he saw a boar and the surrounding trees cut into pieces.

The people who did this were either heading towards the bridge or to the old man's house. I'll bet on the latter, he thought.

Turning back, he rushed towards the house. When he arrived, he saw Inari charging at 2 men.

Brave, but very idiotic, he thought as he used kawarimi no jutsu.

The 2 men blinked as they cut through a piece of wood instead of flesh.

Naruto handed the boy to his mother and made quick work of the assassins.

He told the boy that he was brave and to make sure the men didn't escape. After that, he ran to the bridge.

He was thinking as he went, I don't have a lot of chakra... I should be careful...

* * *

A few minutes before with the genins and Tazuna

On the bridge, all the workers were either dead, unconscious, or had ran away.

Suddenly, a thick mist surrounded them and an all too familiar voice reached their ears.

"Long time no see Kakashi. I see you are still with the brats... He's shaking again, poor kid."

Ten Zabuza clones appeared and surrounded them.

"I'm shaking from excitement," Sasuke smirked.

"Do it Sasuke," Kakashi ordered.

Sasuke destroyed all the clones in under a minute.

"It looks like you have a rival...eh Haku," Zabuza stated.

"It does indeed," Haku, the masked hunter-nin from before, answered.

The two boys started to fight. Kunai met needle as Sasuke proved to be as fast as Haku.

"I have two advantages over you." Haku said calmly.  
  
"What are they?" Sasuke said, slightly interested. 

"One, the water on the ground, and two, I have stopped one of your hands." Haku said.  
  
Haku then used his other hand to perform a series of seals.

Special Jutsu: Flying Water Needles 

Water started flying around them and turned into razor-sharp needles.

Haku jumped away to avoid the attack. By channeling his chakra to his feet, Sasuke did the same.

Haku was confused on the younger boy's whereabouts and barely dodged the four shurikens sent at him.

Sasuke surprised him even more by appearing behind him.

Using his left arm, Sasuke tried to hit him with a kunai.

Haku dodged it so Sasuke sent it flying his way, then he gave him an uppercut kick that sent the masked boy flying several feet back.

Zabuza was surprised, Haku never lost at speed.

"I can't have you underestimating my team by calling them brats," Kakashi commented,

"Sasuke is Konoha's number 1 rookie. Shikamaru is the #1 lazy bum and a genius. (Kakashi, like Asuma, has tested his IQ during a game) And Naruto is the #1 loudmouth in the village (5 months in the village and he already got the title ) and may be the #1 taijustu specialist of the year."

Zabuza laughed, "We might have some competition here, Haku. We can't have that, now can we."

"No we can't," Haku answered, performing a series of seals.

_Special Jutsu: Demonic Ice Mirrors_

TBC

* * *

Chapter Preview

Shikamaru was staring intently at a dome made out of mirrors. When Naruto looked, he saw Sasuke, on the ground, unmoving...

Oh, shit! Itachi's gonna kill me for letting his otouto die!...

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	7. Chapter 6: The Great Naruto Bridge Part ...

New and Improved

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or any of the characters in it. I just own the plot and please don't send any flames, I know I can't write. TT

A/NAuthor's Note

"blah" talking

_blah _jutsu

* * *

Chapter 4: The Great Naruto Bridge-Part 3

When Naruto arrived at the bridge, he saw Kakashi was battling with Zabuza.

The tension around them was getting heavier but he was more worried about his teammates.

He saw that Shikamaru was protecting Tazuna; they both seemed fine, but Shikamaru was fidgeting, torn between helping his friend and protecting Tazuna.

He was staring intently at a dome made out of mirrors. When Naruto looked, he saw Sasuke, on the ground; unmoving...

Oh, shit! Itachi's gonna kill me for letting his otouto die, he thought, that hunter-nin is also inside with him, how can I get him out without getting hurt... I need a distraction.

Creating a clone, he made it throw a shuriken at the masked hunter-nin. The hunter-nin caught it and looked around.

Then then clone threw a smoke bomb and introduced himself loudly.

Taking the chance, the real Naruto ran into the dome from a blind spot and picked up the other boy.

Running back to the forest, he felt for a pulse and found a weak one.

Sighing in relief, he slowed down as he passed the first tree. A few yards inside, he put the boy down and forced some medicine into his mouth.

He turned and watched as the clone turned into smoke.

The hunter-nin was confused so Naruto charged from behind.

Haku flipped in the air and turned to face his attacker, what he saw was a blonde boy with blood red eyes, dark whiskers on each cheek and longs claws on each hand. An evil aura radiated around him.

Naruto was borrowing some chakra from the kyuubi, already wasting what he had after yeasterday's practice on the run to get Sasuke.

They started to battle and Naruto was surprise that he had a hard time even with the energy boost.

However, Naruto still defeated the other boy and was about to make the finishing blow when his mask cracked.

His hand stopped inches from his face, "Haku!?"

The borrowed chakra died down and he turned back to normal, "Naruto?...Kill me."

Naruto was surprised that the guy he met yesterday was his enemy. He thought that they were friends.

Nevertheless, bound to his duty to protect Tazuna, he took out a kunai and was about to slit his throat when Haku suddenly ran pass him.

Confused, he was about to run after him when he felt a massive amount of chakra was being gathered in Kakashi's direction.

Figuring it out, he mentally scolded himself for being so slow today. Haku was only a few feet away from the battle and he could do nothing to stop him.

Kakashi charged at Zabuza, hands glowing with the level of chakra he was using. Moments before it hit, Haku intercepted.

Eyes wide in shock, Kakashi caught the boy as he dies. Slowly laying him on the floor, he shook his head sadly and glared at Zabuza.

"He was my tool, he was useful but how useful is a dead tool. I can always replace......" Zabuza sneered before Naruto punched him in the face.

"Don't you ever say that to him!! You have no right. He risked his life for you and all you think of him is a weapon?!" I yelled.

Slowly, he managed to get back up, both arms useless, and I think I saw a tear in his eye before he coughed up blood and fell back down again.

In a whisper, he murmured, "Don't you think I know that. He was too young to die, too pure. But I'm a ninja and a good ninja never shows his feelings, boy. Now, pl-please let me join him in death even if we won't be going to the same place. Please bring him next to me..."

Without a word, Kakashi obliged and we watched as they both died next to each under, covered in a blanket of snow that had just fallen.

In a hoarse voice, Naruto told Kakashi that Haku's village had a lot of snow.

However, the peace was interrupted when a cruel laugh sounded behind them.

Quickly turning around, they saw that it came from a fat man leaning on a cane surrounded by an army of thugs.

"Thanks for killing those two worthless scums, I was gonna do it anyways if they accomplished killing Tazuna.

They didn't, something I expected but these men will. You have the choices of either joining my army and saving your lives and going down along with Tazuna," the man, who was obviously the infamous Gato, announced.

Shikamaru and Tazuna came up behind Naruto. Whispering softly, Shikamaru told Kakashi to replace him as bodyguard.

They moved away from the two boys and watched as they jumped and disappeared.

"Where'd they go?" Tazuna asked, watching Gato's men intently.

"Just watch," Kakashi murmured.

Naruto appeared behind the men, throwing his large shuriken and killing several of them.

Then he used Koukakyuu no Jutsu ("He has chakra?" (Kakashi)) when all of their attention was on him.

Shikamaru appeared behind all of them and gathered all of their shadows, enlarged by Naruto's light . Now that his training was more intense, he could hold them longer.

Naruto finished it by using a lightning jutsu, striking all the ninjas unconscious just as a large mob, led by Inari walked onto the bridge.

"It's finally over," Naruto said. Moments later he collapsed.

Shikamaru went to get Sasuke while Kakashi picked the blonde up.

Almost smiling affectionally at his team, they walked back into the village with Inari, Tazuna and a handful of men.

Most of them stayed to throw Gato's army over the bay, leaving only Haku and Zabuza, who they carried back to the village and buried.

The next day, both Sasuke and Naruto woke up, in time to say their prayers for the 2 shinobi.

They also left that day, too late to hear the name of the bridge, The Great Naruto Bridge.

* * *

End of Chapter 6: The Great Naruto Bridge: Part 3 

Chapter Preview

They found Moegi and Udon and was searching for Konohamaru when a scream cut through the air.

"Konohamaru!" they exclaimed, recognizing his voice.

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	8. Chapter 7: Meeting Gaara of the Sand

New and Improved

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or any of the characters in it. I just own the plot and please don't send any flames, I know I can't write. TT

A/NAuthor's Note

"blah" talking

**blah** jutsu

* * *

Chapter 7: Gaara of the Sand

Team 7 was coming back after finishing another D-class mission. When Kakashi left them to fill out their mission form, the 3 other boys turned into smoke.

Bored of doing D-class missions when they could've been doing something useful, Naruto had come up with the idea of using kage bunshins instead of themselves.

While the copies finished the missions, the three of them trained.

Sometimes they learned new jutsus from each other, but most of the time they sparred in 3 way battles or thought up of new formations.

Today, they fought against each other. Naruto was glad of the progress the others were making. At first the battles were boring but as their skills grew, they got better and more of a challenge.

When the other two teamed up, it usually left Naruto looking like he did now; covered with bruises and scratches that were slowly fading away.

He was all alone, Shikamaru went to hang out with Team Ten and Sasuke went to do whatever he does after training.

Shika had offered for him to join them but Naruto turned them down. Sasuke, not wanting to be near the girls on Team 10, left too.

Then Naruto noticed a strange looking box with two holes following him.

Do they really think I won't notice that thing there, Naruto thought, walking and 'accidently' kicking it.

"Hey!"

"Ouch!"

"Oow!"

Suddenly the box exploded and three different colored smoke bombs went off.

"We are the...!" a young voice shouted but ended up in a series of hacking and coughing.

When the smoke cleared, three kids, a girl and two boys, were revealed.

He recognized one of the boys as Konohamaru, who he helped by 'defeating' his sensei, Ebisu and the 3rd Hokage.

The other two he didn't know, but were probably the boy's friends.

"What were you doing following me, and who are these two?" Naruto asked.

"See, this is big brother Naruto! He's really strong," Konohamaru boasted, facing his friends.

"Hello Naruto-san, my name is Moegi," the girl said shyly. Naruto edged away from her, she had _hearts_ in her eyes.

Then the boy with glasses introduced himself as Udon.

The three of them forced him to play ninja with them. While they were playing, Shikamaru walked over, coming back from the steakhouse.

"What are you doing?" he asked as he watched the three kids pounce on poor Naruto.

"Playing ninja," the girl shouted, clinging onto Naruto's head, riding on his shoulders.

He recognized the Hokage's grandson in Naruto's arms but didn't know the boy who was hanging on his back.

"How can a ninja play ninja," he drawled, leaning back on a tree.

"Don't be so catty, Shika," Naruto said, laughing as he went to chase the kids who had jumped off of him to hide.

"I am _not_ catty!" Shikamaru exclaimed. He started chasing Naruto and was soon enjoying himself.

They found Moegi and Udon and was searching for Konohamaru when a scream cut through the air.

"Konohamaru!" they exclaimed, recognizing his voice.

Running to the source, Shikamaru sensed 3 strong chakras and a weak one; Konohamaru and three strong genins.

They finally arrived and saw a tall guy holding Konohamaru by his neck.

He had red markings on his face and wore a black one-piece suit, black sandals, a freaky bandaged thing on his back and the hatai-ite of the Sand on the hood over his forehead.

The girl next to him was also tall and had her hair tied into two(four?) high pineapples, she was also from the Sand and had a large, closed fan on her back.

"That hurt, brat," the guy said.

"Let go of him," Naruto yelled.

Behind him, Shikamaru pushed the kids back and stood next to Naruto.

"Why? I should give him a beating, he ran into me," the man replied.

"He is the Hokage's grandson and you are but a guest to our village," Shikamaru stated, "Do you want to start a war because of a small grudge?"

He looked slightly worried now but covered it well, "So? I can do anything I want!"

The girl behind him tapped him and whispered, "The Kazekage told us not to cause any trouble, idiot."

Still reluctant, he stubbornly held onto the scared boy.

Suddenly a rock flew from a tree and hit his hand, hard, making him drop the boy. Naruto quickly gathered Konohamaru in his arms and went back, glaring at the Sand-nins.

"Is it really smart to provoke Leaf-nins when our alliance is so new?" Sasuke asked, sitting on a branch.

The Sand nin glared as Sasuke jumped down to join his teammates. Both Moegi and the other girl had hearts in their eyes.

"Do you want to fight?" Naruto asked, one hand already performing seals, "Now that Konohamaru's out of danger, we'll be glad to."

The three boys stood menacingly and glared at the Sand duo.

"No, we don't."

Surprised, Sasuke and Shikamaru turned abruptly to the tree where the voice came from.

The person who spoke had great control on his chakra and hid it well, not even Naruto sensed him. However, his nose had caught onto a strong demon aura when they arrived.

A redhead jumped down and landed in front of the other two strangers. Like them, he was from the Sand.

He had emerald green eyes with black circles around them, he wore dark clothes and had a gourd on his back.

All three Leaf nins became cautious; unlike the other two, this one, though younger, had a killer intent.

His eyes were cold and focused, those of a predator.

The redhead and the three of them stared at each other for a while longer before he spoke.

"Say sorry, Kankurou."

Surprisingly, the older boy obeyed. It seemed that the other two were afraid of him.

"They will not cause trouble again," the redhead stated, smirking slightly.

"...What is your name?" Sasuke asked.

"Who, me?" the girl asked, blushing a dark pink.

"No, the redhead," Sasuke stated, slightly irratated.

"Gaara, Gaara of the Sand," he replied, "And your's? You've all proved... interesting." (In Shonen Jump, they sometimes use Gaara and sometimes Gâra, it's so annoying.)

"Sasuke."

"Shikamaru."

The others stared at Naruto, waiting for his answer. Nevertheless, he was still silent, still looking at Gaara.

"My name is Naruto," he said slowly, "It's nice to meet you..." _Shukaka_, he mentally whispered to him.

With that, he walked away, motioning for the others to do so, too.

When they were gone, Kankurou let go of his mask and exclaimed, "Damn you, Gaara, putting me down in front of them!!"

"...Naruto," Gaara whispered, softly, as if tasting the name on his lips. Then he smirked, disappearing in a whirl of sand.

* * *

Up in the trees, another trio listened in on their conversation.

"What do you think?" one asked.

"They're good, but not what I had in mind," another replied.

They all chuckled evilly and disappeared.

* * *

End of Chapter 7: Gaara of the Sand

Chapter Preview

Naruto held a kunai at his neck while Shikamaru was behind the other chûnin, a hand pressed against his heart.

The all moved back at the same time, seemingly, no one hurt.

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	9. note!

I kinda look baq this stori n I think itz xx itz discontinued... yea...

Itz totalli bleh xP

nd I think I kinda have a new writinq style now so im kinda ditchin this stori rite now

my name is sasunaru123 yea..itz not new. Itz old. I even rote anotha stori... n my stori is "The Ultimate Defense" http/ www. 1957807/1/ take out the spaces

I kept forqettinq to end this stori. But now yea.. I am. Nd I thank nd love all of my reviewers. Cause yuu quys are so luvlii but ttfn 3

333 vicki


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